More Like This

Preview

The spirit of Aldo Leopold and Edward F. Ricketts persists, and there is some welcome evidence that it may be growing. Professionally, the spirit of Leopold and Ricketts is found in the facts of natural history, techniques, and perspectives that form the foundation of the best of modern ecology. It is ingrained in the roots of environmentalism; both Leopold and Ricketts anticipated the environmental movement and New Age thinking, including the notions of deep ecology, ecological holism, and the Gaia hypothesis. It is found in the “-ologies” that ground the newer discipline of conservation...

The spirit of Aldo Leopold and Edward F. Ricketts persists, and there is some welcome evidence that it may be growing. Professionally, the spirit of Leopold and Ricketts is found in the facts of natural history, techniques, and perspectives that form the foundation of the best of modern ecology. It is ingrained in the roots of environmentalism; both Leopold and Ricketts anticipated the environmental movement and New Age thinking, including the notions of deep ecology, ecological holism, and the Gaia hypothesis. It is found in the “-ologies” that ground the newer discipline of conservation biology—including mammalogy, ornithology, herpetology, ichthyology, invertebrate biology, parasitology, phycology, and botany. The spirit of Leopold and Ricketts provides a link between environmental justice and social justice. Most of all, the spirit of Leopold and Ricketts is found in hope, in the simple joys of living, and in the possibilities that people provide for themselves in the finite system we call Earth—our home.